A senior Pakistani political leader has launched a stinging attack on the country’s powerful military establishment, ridiculing its border controls and questioning its effectiveness amid a surge in terror incidents across Pakistan.

In a caustic remark that has gone viral, the leader said that while pomegranates and basic trade goods are routinely stopped at Pakistan’s borders, terrorists continue to enter with ease, laying bare what critics describe as deep contradictions in the military’s security narrative. The comment comes at a time when Pakistan is witnessing a sharp rise in militant attacks, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

The remark has resonated widely as Pakistan’s armed forces repeatedly claim tight border management and counter-terror success, even as suicide bombings, targeted killings and attacks on security installations continue unabated. Analysts say the statement reflects growing political frustration over the military’s dominance in national security policymaking despite deteriorating ground realities.

Opposition figures argue that Pakistan’s fixation on restricting civilian trade and movement contrasts starkly with its failure to dismantle militant networks that operate with apparent impunity. “If fruits can’t cross the border without clearance, how do armed militants keep slipping through?” one commentator asked, echoing the leader’s criticism.

The jab also revives long-standing allegations that Pakistan’s security establishment has selectively tolerated or mismanaged militant groups, a charge Islamabad has consistently denied. However, repeated high-profile attacks have weakened official claims of control and intensified scrutiny of the military’s counter-terror strategy.

As public anger mounts over insecurity and economic hardship, such blunt criticism from within Pakistan’s own political class signals a rare and growing willingness to challenge the military’s narrative exposing cracks in a system long shielded from accountability. 

This image is taken from TOI.